On a day filled with studio appearances and selfie cameos at the ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut, in June, Army Sgt. Christopher McGinnis, who will compete in the Warrior Games (June 30-July 8), and comedian and host of the Warrior Games Jon Stewart had a lot to talk about -- "chicken legs for life," for starters. In an interview with ESPN, they got a little more serious about the nature of service, what they're most looking forward to at this year's games and why Warrior Games athletes are the "best athletes in the world."
ESPN: Sometimes when an injury happens, the journey to adjust to it lets you find out things about yourself you didn't know before -- or even enhances other parts of you. What have you found about yourself, or what has been potentially enhanced?
Christopher McGinnis: I have a lower extremity injury. I haven't been able to do a whole lot with my knee injury. I kind of coined a phrase, and my brother says it to me all the time too, 'Chicken legs for life.'
Jon Stewart: You got to make that into a shirt.
CG: Obviously, my upper body is stronger, being in a wheelchair all the time now, playing wheelchair basketball. Mentally, being in the military eight years, I thought I was mentally strong. But [now] dealing with injuries and being with my battle buddies back in Walter Reed and seeing the injuries they've come in with and just the struggles they been through, I've gained an even bigger sense of mental strength out of it. I'm more resilient than I was before.
ESPN: Jon, is it duty, is it love, is it compassion? Do you feel somehow obligated to do this or any other activism?
JS: I'm not sure obligation is the right word. Look, they set the example of service, and I think one of the difficulties for people who are high-performance individuals like you find in the military is, how do I find a way to serve and be relevant in the manner that I was when I'm not physically in the manner that I was? And watching that journey and seeing them find ways to still serve is what inspires me. Look, having a mouthpiece is cathartic to some extent, but it's basically impotent rage. You're just yelling at a TV camera. Interacting in the real world and making a small difference in people's lives even if that just means a handshake tour at Walter Reed or just sitting and listening to their stories. I mean it's selfish to a large extent because it's much more satisfying. It's a meal; it's nourishing in that way. In other words, I get far more out of it than they do, so it's almost hard to think of it as an obligation as much as it is a necessary sustenance.
ESPN: Part of what's happening here is that It's such a small proportion of the population that's involved in this and we throw an enormous burden on a small group of people. There are debates about whether that's the most democratic solution. What do you think? Should military service be part of being a citizen? Do you think the volunteer system we've developed is the best thing in a democracy?
CG: That's a really hard one. I joined for various reasons. I joined for sense of pride and to give back. And I don't mean that as in I'm trying to fluff my feathers and say I'm better than anybody else. I joined because I had a greater goal for myself and as cliché as it sounds, I always say, 'Don't be average.' I hate being average. I refuse to be average. My son is about to be 6 months old and that's what I'm going to instill in him. 'Don't be average.' Am I telling him to join the military? No, that's not what I'm saying. Just know that whatever you're doing out there, don't be average.
JS: I think service should be a part of citizenship. There is something about a military that is self-selecting that gets individuals that refuse to be average and that's a necessary part of the military, but that doesn't mean that the rest of us should be off the hook. So raising the awareness of people is very important but so are other kids of service. Get involved with the USO. Get involved with other groups. You don't have to go fight; that may not be your composition, but there are other things that you can do. Would I mind a national obligatory service program? I think I would appreciate that, but not a mandatory military because that may be to the detriment of the military. If those guys were counting on me in a firefight I'd be the missing link, but I can make a mean sandwich or I can work in the KP. Don't let them just bear the brunt alone.
CG: Raising awareness is a big thing. I feel like I say it like a broken record, but it truly is about raising awareness because the mental aspect of this thing is such a hard burden for a lot of us. I've struggled through it and I'm still struggling through it and probably will for the rest of my life. To say I'll ever be fully cured or healed or whatever I doubt it, I don't think there will ever be a magic pill for that. But I'm a firm believer in just raising awareness.
ESPN: Tell me about a Warrior Games event. Which one is your favorite to watch?
CG: I tried out for archery and I gained a lot of respect for that. It is crazy what those athletes can do, how they can get dialed in. It's a game of inches literally. I would say archery is the fun one to watch.
JS: I like the kinetic sports in general, but wheelchair basketball is the one. Just the level of physicality, strategy and endurance. It's hard to imagine that they compete at that level for that long. I sort of was taken aback by how hard it was.
ESPN: When you are out there competing and people are watching what do you want them to see?
CG: I want them to see us as athletes. I think some people feel like it's almost like we're looking for a sympathy card, 'Hey, lets feel bad for them. They went over there, got hurt and came back, so let's feel bad for them.' And that's not at all what we're looking for here.
Quote this however you want to quote it. I feel like these are the best athletes in the world hands down, professional athletes or anything. These are the best athletes ever because of everything we've had to overcome and endure to get us back to even be able to get on a court or get on a bike and do something.
JS: To see what they've gone through to put themselves in this position. There's nothing like it.